SBIR Grants Awarded for OLED Lighting

Photonics.comMay 2013
WASHINGTON, May 7, 2013 — Four Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants targeting advances in solid-state-lighting technology were announced Monday by the US Department of Energy's Office of Science.

The FY13, Phase I Release 2 grants, awarded to Plextronics Inc., Universal Display Corp., InnoSys Inc. and Litecontrol Corp., will explore the technical merits or feasibility of their concepts or technologies.

Pittsburgh-based Plextronics will use its $175,000 grant to demonstrate the fabrication of large-area OLED panels on low-cost anode structures using inkjet-printed grids and reactive silver ink. The company's partner on the project is Electroninks, a spin-off from the University of Illinois and a provider of printable metal inks.

“The Department of Energy’s Solid State Lighting Roadmap estimates that over 50 percent of the cost of OLED technology relates to the anode fabrication,” said Robert Kumpf, Plextronics' chief operating officer. “This SBIR grant allows Plextronics to develop new process integration schemes incorporating its conductive polymer inks with proprietary printable metal inks from Electroninks to address this substantial industry need.”

Using its grant of nearly $225,000, Universal Display of Ewing, N.J., will partner with IDD Aerospace to design and develop an energy-saving shelf utility OLED light for the inside of aircraft, such as business aircraft. The light is expected to out perform all current lighting technologies and is targeted for commercial sale in 2015.

InnoSys of Salt Lake City will use its $225,000 grant to design, implement and manufacture innovative power supplies to support rapid introduction of both OLED replacement and innovative general lighting fixtures for the residential, commercial and industrial markets.

Litecontrol Corp. of Plympton, Mass., was awarded $166,000 to develop a line of architectural OLED lighting fixtures to be used at night in corridors and public spaces in buildings where spectral color content is important.